Disney Interactive Studios today officially announced development of Toy Story 3: The Video Game, supporting all major platforms and featuring a fun, new way to enjoy the Toy Story universe. Unveiled at the American International Toy Fair in New York City by Mary Beech, general manager and vice president of franchise development and marketing for Disney Consumer Products, Toy Story 3: The Video Game will feature film adventures along with Disney’s first open-world gameplay for kids. Inspired by the upcoming Disney•Pixar animated film, Toy Story 3: The Video Game is due on retail shelves June 15, 2010.

Legendary entertainer and reigning ‘Dancing with the Stars’ champ Donny Osmond joined Fisher-Price at the International Toy Fair in New York yesterday to help launch their newest product, Dance Star Mickey.

Introduced by Mattel Brands President Neil Friedman, Donny burst onto the stage with Mirror Ball Trophy in hand and immediately set the room on fire, regaling those in attendance with details of his lengthy relationship with The Walt Disney Company beginning with the Osmond Brothers being discovered by Walt himself.

Before long, Donny was joined by special guest Mickey Mouse himself who fearlessly accepted a dance-off challenge issued by Osmond. After a little tap dancing and a bit of disco, it was the Mouse’s split that sealed the win.

At last it was time for the curtain to rise, revealing the real star of the presentation, Dance Star Mickey, Fisher-Price’s most technologically advanced toy to date. Using a new, innovative mechanism, Dance Star Mickey is able to move and gesture in a very fluid and life-like way.

Earlier today I had the opportunity to visit Disney Online at the International Toy Fair in New York City and got a preview at Disney’s newest massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, The World of Cars in addition to some of the new and not-yet-released enhancements to Disney Online’s other worlds.

Sharing a lot in common with the Club Penguin model, the World of Cars is completely Adobe Flash-based. This means there are no downloads required aside from the common plug-in that most folks should already have. Although I probably should know better than to be impressed to how the game has been implemented inside the Flash engine, I still am. The game looks very appealing with a great heads-up display (HUD) loaded with information and controls while still leaving plenty of room for the actual gameplay.

As you might imagine, you will assume the role of a car in Radiator Springs. The action in the game takes place after the first movie — Lightning returns to the sleepy town after winning the Piston Cup and has set up shop in the middle of Downtown Radiator Springs. Throughout the game, you’ll encounter all of your favorite characters from the film with all new original dialogue as recorded by the original actors with exception to Owen Wilson (Lightning), Paul Newman (Doc Hudson) and George Carlin (Fillmore), the latter two having passed away prior to the studio work. For those three, Disney has brought in soundalikes who do a really good job at filling in some rather large tires.

Meeting the characters, who are non-player characters (NPCs), meaning they’re automatic and interaction is quite limited, you’ll often find a yellow exclamation point over their heads. This means they want to talk to you and might even have a job for you. Performing jobs for the characters will yield you rewards, often being money and additional jobs.

Walt Disney World has released the Guide for the 2010 International Flower and Garden Festival which kicks off March 3.

Despite the lengthy 2 1/2 month festival, only a few special weekends are noted in the guide: Art in the Garden Celebration (March 26-28) in which guests can get a unique look at nature through the eyes of “Plein Air” artists and see one-of-a-kind works of art; Fresh From Florida (April 23-25) which features Florida’s native agriculture in the Florida’s Farmer Market in Garden Town; and the annual favorite I Dig Bugs (May 1-2) in which experts from Disney’s Animal Kingdom come share some of their favorite friends with Epcot guests.

In the Toy Story 3: The Video Game, help Buzz, Woody and the rest of the toys ensure no toy gets left behind. Dive into all new heroic adventures in Story Mode or let your imagination run wild in the exiting new open world of Toy Box Mode! Available to own June 15, 2010.

Earlier this evening, at the tenth annual Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards, Walt Disney’s Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter was inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame. Established in 1984, the Hall of Fame honors individuals who have made a significant mark on the American toy industry.

MINDstyle has announced Series #1 of Stitch Mini-Figure vinyl collectibles. Sharing a lot in common with the Mickey Mouse-shaped Vinylmations from the Disney Design Group, the creator of the Experiment 626 project has transformed the mini vinyl Stitch figures into some of the most beloved Disney characters of all time.

At 3″, each series will consist of 10 figures sold for $9.95 each in a blind pack plus a chaser and a super-chaser. Like Vinylmation, trays of 24 will be available for sale which includes two complete sets of 10 plus the chaser and super-chaser.

Marjory Marchand of New York filed a lawsuit in United States District Court earlier this weeking seeking damages in excess of $75,000 from Walt Disney World, Niki Bryan Spas and GF Spa Ltd. Through the complaint, Marchand stated that in July of 2008, as part of a Walt Disney World vacation, she participated in a private massage taking place at the Grand Floridian resort. It was during the massage that Marchand alleges she was violated sexually by a male masseur, resulting in ‘lack of trust, anger, irritability, anxiety, nightmares, panic attacks, feelings of abandonment shame, feelings of being unclean, fear of being alone, poor mood, feeling distracted, confused, and in self-doubt.’

The 107th annual American International Toy Fair is about to kick off in New York City and we couldn’t be more excited. In honor of the 1200+ exhibitors showing off their latest and greatest in toys, we thought we’d take a sneak peek at some of the new Disney toys from Mattel that you can expect to find at your favorite retailer later this year.

We’ll start with this summer’s most anticipated event: Toy Story 3.

First up is the Buzz Lightyear Deluxe Action Wing Pack (Ages 6+; MSRP $49.99; Available May). Junior Space Rangers can sport this backpack style gear which — at a touch of a button — pops out a set of their very own wings, useful for flying or simply falling with style. Other buttons speak some of Buzz’s most popular catchphrases, but the coolest part of all is that the wings can sense when they’re in the horizontal position and will automatically play ‘flying’ noises. When the mission’s been accomplished, the wings contract at the press of a button.

If you’ve been following the TS3 news and have seen the new trailer, you probably already know that Ken (Michael Keaton) joins the Toy Story family and given that Mattel is the home of Ken and Barbie, the Barbie Toy Story 3 Made For Each Other Gift Set (Ages 3+; MSRP $24.99; Available May) is a zero-brainer. The pair of dolls help re-live the magic of the film dressed in the style as they appear on screen.